Sleeping Bear Dunes Officially Protected Wilderness

Over 32-thousand acres of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is now protected wilderness.

The official ceremony took place on Friday and celebrated the new law, which designates half of the 72-thousand acres as wilderness under the National Wilderness Preservation System. This will protect the wildlife habitat while still allowing people to use the park for hunting, fishing, camping and hiking. Roads, boat launches and other structures are not included under the bill. The Sleeping Bear Dunes spans 35 miles across the Lake Michigan shoreline in Benzie and Leelanau counties.